Due to weather and parking lots, no OneLife Church at Powell High School tomorrow. Join us online at 11:00 instead! http://onelifeknox.com

Today’s Key Verses:

1 Timothy 6:12

12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

The snow is setting in and, like most other East Tennesseans, we made our trip to the grocery store last night to get stocked up on all that we would need in case we are stuck in the house for a couple of days. When Harrison got it all put away and showed me the loot, I was most excited that she got instant pancakes. I love making pancakes but when I have to make them from scratch they never seem to turn out just right. So for these, Ill just have to add water and be done with it!

Thats how we like most things  just add water. Take the easy way out, cut a few corners, and youll get there eventually.

In todays verse, Paul is writing to the young preacher Timothy and tells him that some things just dont come easy. Specifically, salvation that results in eternal life is something that will require a good fight. Eternal life will have to be held on to tightly and be what life is all about.

That means when relationships fall apart, we fight for keeping Christ at the center. It means standing firm in the face of those who criticize and dont understand. It means aligning your life so that nothing can distract from your relationship with Christ.

It would be much easier if following Christ was like adding water to an instant mix. But Paul teaches us here that it must be fought for. And just as a heavyweight trains for a fight by working out, eating right, training, and practicing, we must also be in constant preparation to fight this good fight of the faith. Prayer, reading scripture, worship, and fellowship with other believers are among the many things we can do to prepare for this fight.

Take some time today to prepare yourself for the good fight of faith.

Todays Prayer:
Ask God to help you be ready when you must fight for your faith. Ask Him to help you get prepared by daily focusing of Him and doing what is necessary to take hold of the eternal life that he has so freely given. Commit to Christ that you will stay strong in your faith even when it doesnt seem that easy.

Enjoy the snow!

Today’s Key Verses:

Hebrews 11:1

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

If there was ever a word that was misunderstood, it would be faith. But as Christians it is extremely important that we understand exactly what it means.

In this verse, we are given a pretty clear definition. It is the launching pad to an entire chapter that is devoted to the topic of faith and men and women who displayed it in their lives.

In each example that is given throughout Hebrews 11, people gave their lives to something they couldn’t see. Their relationship with God drove every aspect of their existence. In some of the instances, their faith made absolutely no sense to anyone else. But in the end, it made perfect sense to all involved.

Billy Graham has often given the analogy of wind when talking about faith. Just as you cannot see the wind, you cannot see what it is you put your faith in as a Christian. But yet how do you know the wind is there? You can feel it, see the effects of it, and hear it as it blows around buildings and trees. The same is true of our God. We put our complete trust (aka faith) in Him because – while we cannot see him – we can see the effects of him.

As you look at your life, it is important to see if there are areas where you may not be seeing the effects of God in your life. Then it is important to ask the tough question of “Do I allow God to move in that area?” Just like you would know the wind isn’t blowing if you didn’t feel it on your skin or see it blowing tree branches, you will know God is not a part of your life if you do not see the results of his relationship with you.

Take some time today to examine how much faith you truly are putting into that which cannot be seen.

Today’s Prayer: Thank God for his presence in your life even though there are times that he may seem to be invisible. Ask Him to help you identify the areas of your life that need to be opened up so that he can move. Ask him to show you the effects of his presence in your life.

Hurry to the grocery store before the blizzard sets in!

Today’s Key Verses:

Philippians 3:10-14

10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I am an extremely competitive person. And I love to win! No matter what I’m doing, it seems that I’m always trying to be number 1. Just the other night I was playing Wii Sports with a 9-year old and found myself doing whatever I could to beat him at bowling. I won the first game and lost the second. Without even thinking about it, I found myself saying “Best out of three!” trying whatever I could to come out victorious.

But I lost.

Being a competitive person, it is difficult for me to sometimes view God through the eyes of His “first will be last and last will be first” mentality. But yet since that’s what Jesus did for me, I must humble myself and do my best to live accordingly (except for video games!).

With all that in mind, it is extremely comforting for me – and for you – to read in today’s key verses that there is one prize and one race that we are guaranteed to win. And the whole thing is actually rigged to where we can’t lose! Because we are in Christ Jesus, we are guaranteed the victory in what God has called us to do with our lives.

There is one word, though, that must not be overlooked – straining. Life will at times be a strain. Jesus promised us the victory but never promised it would be all that easy. I believe that is why Paul uses the analogy here of an athlete who must work hard to reach the goal of victory.

When you think about your life, think about that which causes you the most strain. Then praise God that no matter what happens in that area of your life, he has promised you the ultimate victory and the end of life. That is an unbelievable hope that will help you get through the strain.

Today’s Prayer:
Ask God to give you the strength to remember this victory when life seems like a strain. Ask Him to help you deal with the hard times by relying on HIS victory and strength rather than trying to do it on your own.

Hurry to the grocery store before the blizzard sets in!

Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church
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Today’s Key Verses:

Luke 17:23-24

23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Everybody loves a good party. I know I sure do. The crazy thing about church is that we’ve somehow been led to believe that Christians don’t have fun and shouldn’t celebrate anything.

But yet in this story of the Prodigal Son, we see that there is definitely a big celebration. And what’s celebrated is that the lost was found, and the blind can see. Because this story was one of Jesus’ parables (a hypothetical story that he told to make a point) what He is trying to get across is that people who were once dead in sin and blind to God’s plan for their salvation have been transformed. The dead is alive and the blind can now see!

In this story, the response to that is a celebration. But not just any celebration; it’s a big ole rowdy party. This life transformation is cause to get crazy!

Often times we can get distracted by all that seems to go wrong in our lives. The bills don’t get paid, the family seems to be at odds, a pink slip shows up, the doctor gives bad news, the kids drive you nuts, and the list goes on… But do you ever stop to think about all that you have to celebrate? If you have given your life to Christ and received His gift of forgiveness, you have a lot to celebrate. You were once dead, but now you are alive! You were once blind, but now you can see! Celebrate!

Today’s Prayer:
Praise God for his free gift of salvation. Thank Him for choosing you to be a part of His family and allowing you to be forgiven of your sins so that you can have a relationship with Him. Ask God to help you remember all that you have to celebrate even when it seems like there is no reason to do so. Ask God to give you opportunities to share your excitement with others who need to experience the same joy that you have found in Him.

Hope you are having a great week!

Rodney Arnold
OneLife Church